


Body and Soul

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode: s07e13 The Cold, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-05
Updated: 2011-12-05
Packaged: 2019-05-30 14:18:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15098402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: The Cold.





	Body and Soul

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

Title: Body and Soul  
Author: Laura H  
Rating: Teen  
Spoilers: The Cold (March 12 2006)  
Disclaimer: I do not own, blah, blah, blah.. (the characters, places  
or the song)  
Genre: Sorta song fic...romance…a `what if'venture.  
Author's notes: I love to venture into spoiler fics. This is my own  
vanity. This is only my third attempt at Josh and Donna, so be  
gentle.  
The Santos staffers are gathered around a table at the patio bar,  
unwinding from yet another exhausting day on the campaign trail.  
Sipping her drink slowly, Donna's mind is reeling with the events of  
the day-rather, the emotions she is experiences thanks to the  
awkward, yet pleasant moments she had shared with Josh. She can't  
help but wonder where their relationship is going, and wonder if  
jumping head first into this will unravel everything she has fought  
so hard to accomplish for herself over the last year, namely,  
individuating herself from Joshua Lyman. Silently, Donna admonishes  
herself for thinking too deeply, after all, Josh had probably only  
kissed her in the heat of the celebratory moment. Any feelings  
beyond-friendship(if they had so existed) had surely dissipated when  
she had walked out on him and began working for his rival. Glancing  
around at the (somewhat) pathetic-looking group of young and middle-  
age staffers surrounding her, Donna is plagued with the ever-present  
unsettling feeling that life is too short to miss an opportunity.  
"So, I think if we continue to put money into…" Bram is speaking,  
and it's not that he isn't a dynamic speaker, but Donna's focus is  
elsewhere.  
Donna reaches into her handbag and retrieves her hotel key and an  
envelope with her room number on it. Inconspicuously she slides the  
key into the envelope and hides it in her hand.  
She wouldn't have missed his laughter if he had have been three  
blocks away. Josh enters the room, his presence dominating. He takes  
a seat across from Donna, a couple of seats away, and easily joins  
in the conversation that Bram, Ronna and Edie are having about Bram  
dating a volunteer.  
"She is not fourteen!" Bram protests, desperately trying to defend  
his actions to the two women.  
"When Donna joined the Bartlet campaign, some people thought she was  
too young and pretty to be good at anything but photocopying. You  
sure proved everybody wrong, didn't you?" Josh flashes her a dimpled  
grin. It's his small way of telling her that he's proud of how far  
she's come, her accomplishments.  
Rolling her eyes, Donna resists the urge to over analyze Josh's  
comment. "It only took me eight years, but yes, I think you're  
finally beginning to realize just how valuable I can be."  
"Donna, I've always know you're valuable." Josh tells her seriously,  
his voice a mere whisper.  
The group is smiling at them, but the topic soon shifts to something  
more interesting to the whole group.  
Donna swallows hard, inhales sharply and extends her arm, very  
deliberately showing Josh her hotel key and number. She glances  
away, leaving the ball in his court, so to speak.  
She stands up and grabs her coat and purse off of the chair. "Well,  
I'm heading in for the night everyone. Have a good sleep."  
"Night." and " Sleep well." is the standard response she receives  
from the Santos staff.  
Donna holds her head high and walks into the hall, not looking back  
to catch Josh's eye.  
My heart is sad and lonely  
For you I sigh, for you dear only  
Why haven't you seen it  
I'm all for you body and soul  
I spend my days in longin'  
And wondering why it's me you're (ogling)  
I tell you I mean it  
I'm all for you body and soul  
Josh's gaze is locked on Donna's disappearing figure. He is trying  
to decipher her mixed messages. Had she just invited him to her  
room? Does she want to pick up where they left off this morning?  
Does she want to discuss the state of their relationship? Why is he  
still sitting here? He slowly reaches out to take the key.  
"Oh, Donna forgot her key." Ronna announces suddenly, loud enough  
for everyone to hear. And then, everyone is staring down at the  
table at Ronna's hand and Josh's outstretched hand.  
"No, it's alright, I've got it." Josh assures her, trying to act  
nonchalant.  
"I'm going in anyway, I'll take it to her." Edie snatches the key  
off of the table and is gone before Josh can blink, let alone  
protest.  
Edie rushes up to Donna in the hall and stops her. " Hey, Donna, you  
forgot your key." She points back to the table where the proffered  
object had been abandoned.  
Donna immediately glances back to the table with the Santos  
staffers. Her face is a mixture of hurt and confusion. Doesn't Josh  
want to be with her?  
I can't believe it  
It's hard to conceive it  
That you turn away romance  
Are you pretending  
It looks like the ending  
And less I could have one more chance to prove, dear  
My life a wreck you're making  
You know I'm yours for just the taking  
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul  
My life a wreck you're making  
You know I'm yours for just the taking  
I would gladly surrender myself to you body and soul  
Josh, with a sad and resigned expression, tries to convey to her the  
situation. Realizing he will need to use words, he bolts out of his  
seat with only a quick goodbye to his staff. However, when he makes  
it to the hall, Donna is already in an elevator, the door closing in  
front of her.  
"Donna, wait!" Josh calls out breathlessly, rushing to catch her.  
Donna sticks her hand in the door to stop its closure. " I'm a big  
girl, Josh. You don't have to justify anything. Good night." She  
presses the `close' button in the elevator.  
Josh throws his foot in between the closing elevator doors "No,  
Donna, I…"  
"If you don't mind, I'm really tired and I just want to get a  
relatively good night's sleep." Her face is a combination of  
weariness and resignation. She decides she has given up on Josh,  
fate, God, anyone and anything that could have salvaged her  
relationship with Josh and given her everything she's longed for all  
these years.  
"Donna," Josh exhales. "I tried to take the key; Edie grabbed it  
instead."  
"You mean you wanted the key? You wanted to…come to my room?"  
Suddenly, she feels like a teenager inviting her first boyfriend  
over when her parents aren't home. She isn't sure how to vocalize  
her feelings.  
Hishesitant, desperate expressions turns to one of relief and  
happiness. " Of course!"  
"Then what are you waiting for?" Donna challenges, pressing  
the `open' button and allowing Josh access to the elevator.  
"I've been distracted all day." Josh admits, his eyes roaming over  
Donna's body.  
"Me, too." Donna nibbles nervously at her bottom lip.  
"So, about that kiss this morning..." Josh runs a hand through his  
mess of curly dark hair.  
"I told you, don't worry about." Donna waves it off, although  
reluctantly.  
Josh closes the physical distance between himself and Donna, taking  
her hand in his. "Okay, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume  
that's just eight years of repeated misdirection, avoidance,  
repression…whatever. Donna, I don't want to forget it. I know I was  
probably overly excited this morning, and maybe it was inappropriate  
and it could potentially hurt the campaign…"  
"Josh, eight years…any chance you can hurry this up?" She giggles  
slightly, resisting the urge to just reach out and kiss him right  
there in the elevator as tey wait for lift to arrive on her floor.  
"I'm trying to say," He takes a deep, preparatory breath and looks  
directly into Donna's sparkling eyes. "I've missed you so much. And,  
I want you so much. And, I need you…more than you'll ever know."  
Donna's eyes waver as she processes what Josh is stumbling to  
vocalize. She cannot think of a response that will do it justice, so  
she holds onto his forearms and leans forward for their second kiss.  
"Mmm...not here." Josh breaks off, although reluctantly.  
"Excuse me?" Donna jumps away, just as the door of the elevators  
slide open.  
Josh smiles dazzlingly. " Our kiss this morning…we didn't do that  
right. I mean I…I didn't do that right. I'm determined to take you  
in my arms, in the privacy of a closed-off room, and show you how  
much you mean to me."  
"Jooosh, I've waited eight years! Who the hell cares where we kiss?"  
Donna protests, as she leads him down the brightly lit corridor  
toward her room.  
"Donna, if you're just trying to get me into bed and treat me like  
any regular old gomer, you've got another thing coming. We've got to  
have patience, I promise it'll be worth waiting five more minutes  
for." His dimples are out in full force as he is pulled by the  
collar into Donna's room.  
Donna slams the door shut with her foot. If Josh wants this done  
properly, thoroughly, and with all the pomp and circumstance, she  
will give him exactly that.  
The End  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


End file.
